As this article points out, New Englanders donate the least amount of dollars to charity of any region in the U.S. My state, New Hampshire, is lowest on this totem pole. If the national average is 3%, the New England aggregate of six states, MA, RI, CT, NH, ME, VT, comes in at 2.04% with NH bringing up the rear with 1.74%. (philanthropy.com)
Why am I not surprised? I've been living and working in New England since 1997. As a region, New Englanders are tight with a buck, suspicious of newcomers, probably the last to let go of a quarter (and the eagle screams when they do so). I sell broadcast advertising on television. Getting a New Englander to trust me takes time...and I'm very trustworthy! Once they do trust you, you're in.
And, for the most part, they pay their bills on time, unlike the other parts of the country in which I've lived (especially California where it should be cash in advance 90% of the time).
This fascinates me and I wonder if the New England native's standoffish suspicion towards organized religion has anything to do with it? You'll notice the most generous areas are where Mormons and Baptists live. They know they're going to Hell if they don't tithe. I know this because I was raised in the Baptist church. And, believe me, I tithe!
If you're curious as to how you're neck of the woods stacks up, here's the list.
9 comments:
Hmmm... California has nothing to brag about here. Back in my TV writing days, I enjoyed sitting down each month and sending off checks to save elephants and other assorted creatures. I miss having the ability to do that, but I do support the local animals rescues as I can.
I notice at the top of the picture it allows you to select income ranges. You do need to have the money to give. I do believe as a nation we are very good at charity. I guess you would need to slice and dice the data a few ways to figure it all out.
My last two states both give under 3%, which seems a little stingy, but not too bad. I don't give that much myself, so that means that others give more than I do. Interesting statistics indeed. :-)
Interesting CG, I do know in Oz it's Perthites that are the most generous, it's a fact I'm pretty proud of.. I have heard that Americans are really big on volunteering, I admire that, it's as important as giving money don't you think.
jayne: well, CA has 38MM people in it & that probably skews things quite a bit whereas NH has 1.2MM & I imagine this is pretty representative.
lisleman: charitable contributions dropped precipitously on all fronts when the beginning of the recession (2007) was identified around 2009. As a salesperson, I knew by the end of '07 we were in another recession. It shows in sales quickly. This is my third recession selling advertising.
I don't know what age group gives the most. My husband worked in non-profit direct mail for years & he said little old ladies loved to send in $1-$5 bills or checks. The big money eventually came from a designated trust where the person(s) were encouraged to establish one in their name on behalf of the charity.
Perth, I think you should be proud. This article makes me want to see what aspect of our income my husband and I contribute. I have no idea. I give to the church & he gives to everything else.
Very interesting!
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